Broken Faith
by Major Xero
Summary: Six Jedi Knights are sent on a mission by the Jedi Council to investigate a disturbance in the Force. But when they arrive things go horribly wrong... The Star Wars setting with elements from the movie Saw.


**DISCLAIMER**: This story is fiction. Star Wars and all related characters and items belong to George Lucas and all affiliated parties. The movie Saw and all its characters belongs to its respective owner(s). No copyright infringements are intended on either product. This story is based centrally on the Star Wars universe and has no story ties to the movie Saw chronologically. However, the aura, the concept of this entire fan fiction, as well as the use of a few trademark lines from the movie Saw, are used here, and I give all credit and inspiration to Saw for the idea of this fan fiction. It is simply the merging of two film series I enjoy very much, binded together. The setting of Star Wars and the concept of Saw. This is a "fan fiction," if you will, and created simply to promote the Star Wars and Saw movie franchises, and a way to express my creativity.

Sitting around a black, round table were eight vile humans, if they could indeed be called humans any longer. The ninth member of the group had yet to come.

"So, the question arises of these six Jedi...they are powerful in the Force. Most more powerful than most of the other Jedi. They have defeated many of our henchmen and wreaked havoc in our plans. This cannot be continued. I am in for destroying them all by our hand. All in favor?" Before any of the dark side wielders could say "Aye," their Lord arrived. "Harm will not be laid upon a single one of them," the Sith Lord said, "they will be dealt with in...another manner." One of the other members of the round table stood up and said loudly "No! I will not allow you to show mercy! You will be dead before --" but before he could say anything else, the Sith Lord crushed his larynx and he dropped dead to the floor from internal bleeding. "Now," said the Sith Lord, "I trust no one else here wishes the same fate as Dar'vith?" Everyone was silent. "I thought as much," he said, "now...onto business, without interruption." He cleared his throat. "Now, with the arrival of recent problems caused by these...Jedi," he paused when he said the word "Jedi," for it disgusted him. He himself had once bore the title of "Jedi," but now, he was greater. Much greater.

"I believe these Jedi can be...corrected." "Corrected?" said one of the other clueless members of the circle. "Yes...as you all know I was once a...Jedi...until I saw the power I had been deprived of. I believe we can light these...Jedi Knights'...way." All of the others looked deep in thought a they debated amongst themselves to agree with their Lord's plan or to disagree, which may very well lead to their demise. "Aye." "Aye." "Aye." Aye." "Aye." "Aye." "Aye."

They all said "Aye" in succession of each other. The Sith Lord smiled. "Good. I have plans to crush their will, to free their spirit, to break them." The other Sith Lords smiled. "All of you, replace your lethal lightsaber crystals with stun crystals. I do not want them harmed." He shot each and every member a horrible stare. "And if ANY of them are harmed in any physical way, then I will enjoy your slow death. Get ready. They are to be deployed on a mission by the Jedi Council. They are all going to be on Dantooine. After they are secured, bring them to me. I have...plans for them, and all of you."

Zarith Nardin was the first Jedi sent out of the ship. From space he had read strange readings on the planet's surface. The aura of the dark side had been sensed as well by the well-tuned Jedi Knight. The planet of Dantooine was also uninhabited. The tall, dark-skinned Jedi Knight had leapt out of the ship when it was within its atmosphere. He closed his eyes and had his arms to his sides. In about seven seconds, his incredible speed toward the ground slowed, and he seemed to float to the surface of the ghost planet. Out of the same ship, the five other Jedi Knights had leapt out of the ship in the same manner as Zarith did. The first to leap after Zarith was Zakiv Lanzhu, who was the most mechanically inclined out of the squad. The second was a woman named Liev Norso, who had considerable fear in the jump, but she pulled through like the others. The third was Zezrin Gorvi, the most diplomatic of the group of the Jedi Knights. He was probably the calmest about the jump. The forth was Delvor Gendrin, whom many of the Jedi Masters of the Jedi Order were worried that his focus on combat and battle prowess, as well as utilizing more violent aspects of the Force to aid him, that he would fall to the dark side. He was arguably the most fearless of the group of Jedi Knights. And finally, the fifth was named Dorvis Gadron, who had the most difficult time convincing himslef to leap out of the hulking mass of durasteel in the skies of Dantooine. He of course finally did.

When they reached the ground, they took a look at their surroundings. Straightening their robes, they saw a forest close to a mile away. Which was good, for the disturbance in the Force that the Council sent the squad to investigate was in that forest. After about a quarter of the distance to the forest, Delvor said something. "Why don't we just use the Force to make this trip faster? You know, like how Master Windu taught us." Zezrin, being the diplomat he is, reasoned "Because we must save the Force for a time when it is truly needed. To use the Force to solve every mundane task is to trivialize it. 'Do not come to rely on the Force to the detriment of your other senses and abilities.' Now, can you tell me who said that?" Delvor thought for a few moments while walking, and said "Master Odan-Urr?" "Correct," said Zezrin, glad to see Delvor actually remembered who said his quote. When they were but Padawan learners Delvor never paid much attention to Jedi history. He just never seemed so inclined. "What's wrong, Liev? Why are you so jumpy?" Liev looked at who said the words, which happened to be Zarith. Liev had been shivering from both the cold and adrenaline rush the free fall had provided for her. "Just a little adrenaline-high over the free fall in the sky we just did. You know, pretty routine stuff." Zarith smiled, as did Liev. Dorvis said "Good to see you still have your sense of humor," and at that point, Dorvis looked down at his shuffling feet as they kept walking. "Yeah, I'm with you...I'm never doing that again," said Zakiv, who was twiddling around on the hydrospanner he had in his robes. He was surprised he was able to keep it in his pocket after the free fall.

After they were three-quarters of the way to their destination, Zezrin sensed something. It was danger. And the shroud of the dark side. "Wait! Stop, everyone. I sense danger ahead." Right after he said that, seven figures who were dressed in black Sith battle armor stood before them. They apparently had stealth field generators to have not been seen by the naked eye. "And you would be correct, fool," said the closest Sith warrior to them. "We follow the rule of Lord Xavian. We are to capture you...if you will not cooperate..."and with that, they all activated their red and violet lightsabers, "...we will have to force you." Three of the Sith warriors wielded two lightsabers, two of them had just one single-bladed lightsaber, and the head two had a double-bladed lightsaber. As soon as the Sith warriors did, the six Jedi activated their lightsabers. Zarith's lightsaber was a double-bladed green lightsaber; Zakiv's lightsaber was a single-bladed blue lightsaber; Liev had two lightsabers, one was blue and one was green; Zezrin's was a green single-bladed lightsaber; Delvor's lightsaber was double-bladed and orange; and Dorvis had two green lightsabers.

Zarith took a swing at the head Sith warrior, which was parried, and the Sith warrior he had struck at gave a viscious swing at Zarith, but was blocked by Liev. Liev leap over the group of Sith and was behind them when she swung at them from behind, but was hit immediately in the head with a red lightsaber. The others had not seen Liev being defeated, and fought more as normal. Liev was not dead, however; it seemed the crystal in the Sith warrior's lightsaber created a non-lethal energy beam, like the kind of energy beam used in podracers or in the hulls of starships and vehicles. As she crumbled to the ground, Zezrin swung his lightsaber at another Sith; but the Sith was way too fast. He slammed his double-bladed lightsaber at Zezrin's torso and was knocked out cold. Delvor knew it was against the Jedi Code, but he reasoned now was a fitting time to do it. Delvor summoned energy to bolt from his fingertips at the Sith. This technique was one used by wielders of the dark side, but he could find no better means to save his fellow Jedi Knights and himself. The energy blasted all of the Sith dead on and Delvor kept at it until one of the Sith managed to guide his single-bladed lightsaber at Delvor, knocking him out. When Delvor fell unconscious, the deadly bolts of energy stopped harming the Sith warriors. Zakiv activated a switch on his lightsaber which extended the length of the energy beam of his lightsaber from three feet long to six feet long. This was called a dual-phase lightsaber. After the blade length was extended, the color of the blade changed from blue to green. With a great swing of his now-very large weapon he gashed deeply into one of the Sith warriors battle armor and went a bit into his flesh. Angered, the Sith ran over to Zakiv and with startling speed smashed his stunning energy blade onto his chest. It was just Zarith and Dorvis now as Zakiv crumbled feebly on the ground. But the seven Sith warriors surrounded Zarith and Dorvis. They knew they couldn't win. All seven of the warriors swung at the two unfortunate Jedi and they fell helplessly unconscious.

--

At the Jedi Council on Coruscant, Master Yoda and Master Windu were both sparring with their lightsabers to instruct a class of younglings. While fighting rather intensely, Yoda felt something...a tingling sensation of pain and fear. When this happened to Yoda, he let down his guard slightly and Master Windu brought down a swing to the middle of Yoda's head. Master Windu stopped before it reached, however, and told the class "You see, children? Even if you are as accomplished a duelist as Master Yoda, if you let your guard down, you will be defeated. Many out there in the galaxy who fight a Jedi will not stop fighting as I just did when Master Yoda let down his guard. So that is my lesson to you: never let down your guard." Yoda suddenly said "Master Windu, speak with you alone I must. Go for now you must, younglings." The class of the twenty-five younglings gave a small bow and vacated the room. After they were gone, Master Windu spoke. "What is it?" Yoda looked down slightly. "The six Jedi Knights we dispatched...a mistake we have made in sending them to Dantooine." Mace Windu looked at Yoda more sharply. "Why do you say that?" "Alive they still are...but in great danger they are. Got to Dantooine we must." Master Windu bowed and said "Yes, of course. We will go when the next transport arrives to the council chambers. At the moment there are no transports." Yoda sighed. "By then, we may be too late..."

--

The six Jedi Knights awoke in a cramped metallic room. There was an airlock in the room, but no other doors. Sitting on a small table was a holocron. Zarith awoke and said "W...Where...are we...?" The others had all apparently awakened already. "We're trapped in this room, Zarith," said Liev. Delvor started screaming in anger at the extent of his capability. Energy crackled around his knuckles and he attempted to shoot forth an awesome blast of energy from his fingertips, but it simply sparked and fizzled. "DAMN IT!" Zezrin said soothingly to Delvor "It is all right, it is fine. Calm yourself." Delvor looked at Zezrin and closed his eyes, gulping. "A...all right...I will...but...why can't I summon the Force?" Zezrin looked around the room. "This...I do not know." Zarith checked his utility belt and could not find his lightsaber. It must've been taken from him when he was knocked unconscious. Liev looked over to the holocron on the table. "Hey...what's this?" Zezrin said "Playback the contents with caution, Liev. We know not of what is in there." Liev activated the playback function of the holocron and the image of a man wearing a dark mask appeared. "Hello, my young...Jedi..." His voice was distorted slightly. Zezrin reasoned, by the design of the mask the being in the holocron was wearing, that it was a Sith artifact he had seen in a Jedi holocron back at the Jedi Council chambers on Coruscant. "I want to play a game. As you may have noticed, your lightsabers are no longer in your possession..." All who did not know this by now soon found the man's, if indeed man he is, words were correct. They had no weapons. "You will also find that the Force has left you...ha ha ha ha...in this compound are neural disruptor fields. They interrupt your concentration, which is vital to the use of your Force powers. But...just because the Force cannot manifest physically does not mean you cannot call upon the Force to aid your actions... Of course, to maintain these fields there must be field generators. Where these generators are is for you to locate and destroy. I will give you a hint as to where the first one is..." All six of the Jedi Knights listened carefully. "It's behind something that has a hundred legs but cannot stand still." None of them liked the sound of that. "Also in this compound are terrible beasts of the dark side...they are humanoid and fight very fiercely. I think you will find the dark side to be very helpful against these creatures..." Zezrin realized what the being in the holocron was saying. These beasts he mentioned must be vulnerable to the power of the dark side, thus tempting them all to use the dark side by giving into anger, aggression, desperation, fear, hate...and thus becoming what they have fought so hard against. "Let the games begin." And with that, the message ended. When the message ended, the airlock depressurized and opened. As soon as this happened, of a sudden they were sucked like a vacuum out of the room and were shot down six separate paths.

Dorvis' Test

Being slightly jumpy, Dorvis expected horrible things. But no, he was treated to a metallic and shiny room. Everything looked so nice...he looked around for an escape from this place they had been trapped in, but to no avail. He found he could still not manifest the Force, but he kept sharp, regardless of the fact that the Force was not his ally. Not this time.

Stalking around the corridors of the area he was in, it appeared as if he were totally alone. He would hear a low snarling noise every once in a while, but when he stopped to listen, it would cease. He thought about what the man in the holocron said. "_I think you will find the dark side to be very helpful against these creatures..._" Did this mean that, in this case, that was dark was more capable than the light? Oh no. He was treading onto a dangerous train of thought. This was not the way of the Jedi...the dark side was the easier path to power, not the more powerful.

When he was stalking down a hallway, one of the beasts that the man in the holocron said inhabited this compound appeared in front of him. It looked horrible. It was in the shape of a human, but it's skin was pitch black, its eyes were read, and it had very short claws. Numerous wounds and lash marks were on the beast, indicating it had been beaten frequently, and also recently. But it did not appear as if the beast meant him harm. Instead, it handed Dorvis a holocron with a battered and bleeding hand. With that, it turned away. from him and walked away harmlessly. Looking over the holocron for a few moments before actrivating it, he waited for the message to play. The being on the holocron's image was the same man in the holocron he had seen with the others.

"Hello Dorvis...I want to play a game. For your entire life you have been trained as a Jedi, but you've always been very nervous. Why? Was it because the...Jedi...intimidate you? Did the threat of evil unsettle you? Whatever the case, you must do away with such feelings or you will not survive. Do you understand? Good. Now..." The masked figure looked into Dorvis' eyes with an intense stare. "It seems your reason for existing is to spiral downwards under the guise of peace and nobility by the...Jedi... The...Jedi...will tell you that you must be wary of the 'threat' the dark side poses. Bah. The...Jedi...do not use the dark side because they are afraid. Afraid that their anger will 'corrupt' them. What is this 'corruption,' and who decides the meaning for such words? 'Corruption' is a word for the...Jedi...to be able to sleep at night when they think of the power they could be using to heal the galaxy. You see, you will come to realize something Dorvis...the dark side is not your enemy. It is your ally. The game you will play is simple; when only one lifeform remains in this sector, the airlock will open. If you manage to defeat all eight beasts, you will have a choice. The airlock leads down two paths...the left path is to a friend's sector. The right is an escape. But when you walk into the threshold of one path, the airlock will shut...permanently. Do you really want to go through all that pain again, Dorvis, just to help someone who may not even survive? Let your instinct, your aggression guide you. Let the game begin." With that, the holorecording ended. He also heard a very large explosion. He hoped the others were alright...

As soon as the holocrecording ended, the same beast that had handed Dorvis the holocron charged out from around the corner and flung its body at him. Dorvis rolled out of the way of the pounce, but it was quicker. When Dorvis dodged, the beast grabbed Dorvis' robes and flung him forward into the wall. Dazed, Dorvis stood and got into a battle stance. The beast charged again, but this time, Dorvis grabbed its arm and slammed it into the wall, pinning it to where it could not move. Dorvis landed a swift elbow strike to the creature's head, dazing it, but it appeared relatively unharmed. With incredible strength, the beast picked Dorvis up by his neck. It squeezed extremely hard. Dorvis knew that in another 50 or 60 seconds he would fall unconscious from the pressure of the hold, and then he would be dead. For nine seconds, he tried to clear his thoughts to be calm; the Force would sustain him...wouldn't it? He got more nervous around 15 seconds, and he finally got angry. For three seconds he built his rage. He felt the grip by the creature getting slightly lighter on his neck. He suddenly exploded into a screaming anger fit and wrenched the beast's horrible grasp on him. As the power of the dark side built within Dorvis, the creature's wounds all over its body glowed red and it screamed a terrible scream. Bright red blood flowed forth from its mouth and nose, and from its wounds. It released its grip from Dorvis, and when it did, the blood stopped. Odd...the dark side always had devastating effects against those who are unfortunate enough to be directed at, but to this degree...? In this case, the dark side _was_ more powerful, he thought. Dorvis reasoned in his mind that, in this case, it would be acceptable to use the dark side. Thus, he gave himself to the dark side...at least for now. He kicked fiercely at the creature and his foot tore through the beast's torso, blood pouring out. It gave a few blood-filled tears from its eyes before it crumbled to the steel floor and died. He heard more snarling. This time three beasts leapt out from behind the corner; one clamped onto the ceiling of the long hallway and the two others charged toward him. Dorvis assumed his battle stance, but in doing so, the creature gashed him open very deeply in the torso. Blood poured out onto the stainless steel floor, slickening the floor with his blood. While he was holding his gut, he called upon the light side of the Force to tend to his wounds, but his mind was too clouded with anger and fear to heal his wounds properly. While he was concentrating, one of the other beasts grabbed him by the throat, and the one clamped to the ceiling dropped its claw deep into Dorvis' skull cap. It pierced his skull and going into his brain, causing him to die very painfully. At least it was a quick death...

When Dorvis became one with the Force, the airlock opened, and out walked one of the Sith warriors that had assaulted them. The beasts had started licking up the blood that had spilled from Dorvis as he lay dead, blood spurting from his head and stomach. The dark, mysterious man with cracked flesh drew his lightsaber and decapitated all of them with one swift stroke. The man fell to his knees before the three beasts fell, and he rubbed his hand slowly on the blood of the fallen Jedi. "He didn't have the wits to survive...he is not fit to bear the title of Sith. Poor fighter as well...hmph." And with that, he stood up and left the sector.

Liev's Test

When Liev was being dragged through a tube she hit many corners, knocking her unconscious before she arrived at her destination. She, however, did awaken...only to be bound. The room she was in was a very dirty room, very unkempt. It looked like banthas were raised in this room it was so dirty. But the state of the room's cleanliness was not her main concern; her right hand and her feet were bound by repulsor-cuffs, which were attached to an energy stream that acted as a rope. She was stretched across a table underneath a bright light, looking up at a laser cannon-sized thing. Bending her head up to look around, she saw a large holocron playing. It had apparently started when her consciousness was detected. The man in the holocron was the same man in the holocron she turned on earlier.

The man wearing that creepy Sith mask said "Hello, Liev. I want to play a game." She was sickened by this man...what was he? And why was he wearing a Sith mask? The Sith had been wiped out centuries ago...was this some Force adept who wanted to appear as a Sith, or have the Sith truly returned to the galaxy? She had heard very little about the Sith in her Jedi training, only that the Sith were evil tyrants who eventually were brought to light by the Jedi and wiped out. "Ever since you were a child you aspired to greatness. You may not openly admit it, but you wanted something...greater. Like the...Jedi...were somehow holding you back. Let me say this to you..." The man continued with his discussion of the Jedi and how the dark side was not her enemy; it was her ally. He also said that the Jedi were fools and say that those who use the dark side were "corrupted," and that the Jedi use the word "corruption" because it helps them sleep at night. She denied everything the man said, deeming him unwise. But she also realized the he must be a true Sith follower to know of all of the things he mentioned about Sith history. "Above you is a laser cannon. It fires an energy arc similar to shots from a blaster rifle. All of your limbs, save your right arm, have been restrained by repulsors. You cannot escape from them by normal means. A foot away from you is the switch to the power source of the repulsors. However, for every inch your right arm moves, the laser cannon will fire at you at your abdomen. Do not worry -- you have an energy shield activated on your person that will absorb three or four shots. But you will still have to take eight or nine shots to the abdomen to escape. I have the energy of the shots set to make it to where you can survive such punishment...but your body can only take fifteen shots before you die. So...will you do it Liev? Will you take such terrible pain? Can you keep your arm from moving after you get shot as to not another shot? Or will you just rot there from inaction? Or will you take too many shots? Ha ha ha ha...let the game begin." The holocron's message ended.

Liev was terified. There was such fear in her heart at the moment...she remembered what Yoda had said when she was a child. _"Fear is the path to the dark side...fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering..._" She tried desperately to calm her mind, but it was impossible. She reluctantly moved her arm roughly an inch and the cannon above her did as she feared...it fired at her abdomen, just as the man in the holocron had said. She tried to summon the Force to deactvate the power source but it failed miserably... She moved her arm another inch and another shot soaked into the energy shield around her. Another inch...another shot. She knew that the energy shield might, just might, have charge enough to absorb one more shot. She reluctantly moved one more inch and the energy shield held up, but she heard the hum of its deactivation. That's it...no more protection, she thought. She gathered her wits and courage, and finally, after a while, moved another inch, but she felt great pain in her stomach. It literally singed her flesh and left a burn mark. She yelped and tears formed in her eyes. She decided to jump three inches, but that was a mistake. The cannon rapid-fired three shots, and she was far from ready for receiving that degree of pain. Despite the horrible, gut-wrenching pain she felt, she kept her arm steady, not allowing it to move another inch. She screamed in terrible agony at what was searing into her flesh. "_I don't need to do that again..._" she thought. She only needed to move another four inches, and then she was home free. She heard a huge explosion. She feared the others may be hurt...

She inched her arm toward the power switch, getting shot four more times before deactivating the power to her restraints. She rolled off of the table onto the dirty floor, getting shot two more times full on and getting singed the next. Finally, it was over...no more pain. For about ten minutes she laid there calling upon the Force to mend her wounds. She healed her wounds enough that there were no visible marks on her body, but she felt an aftershock of pain. Slowly standing up, she looked in front of her to the dirty wall. Then she heard something It was a lightsaber activating...and it was behind her. She heard the lightsaber coming down for a vicious swing, and she barely dodged the energy blade coming down. Turning around, she noticed she saw the Sith warrior who had knocked her unconscious standing menacingly in front of her.

"Good...you have survived my first attack at least," said the man standing before her. The skin around his eyes had a very purplish tint to them, and his flesh was scarred in many places. Liev had a feeling that the Sith warrior's lightsaber no longer had a stun crystal in it. And if she was right, she was in big trouble, because she didn't have her lightsabers. The man gave a chuckle. "You are defenseless. I could strike you down right now if I so desired...but no. I must give you your lightsabers." And with that, he grabbed two lightsabers and tossed them to Liev. Liev caught them and activated them immediately. When she activated her second lightsaber, he activated his second lightsabr. "Let us see if the teachings of the Jedi save you on this day...let us fight." He swung both sabers at her, and she deflected them both. She decided from the beginning she needed to dispose of this threat quickly or she may die. Bringing her right saber up but still holding her left in place, she lunged at his abdomen but her blade was knocked away. The Sith brought his right saber back and swiped at her face and she barely dodged harm. The Sith warrior backed away and backflipped on top of the laser cannon. He must have activated the cannon to fire at her, because the firing rail turned to her and started rapid-firing. She narrowly deflected the first shot and deflected all other shots in succession of each other. The man on top of the machine laughed hysterically as she tried to redirect shots at the him, only to be deflected again. She kept deflecting for an entire 60 seconds before the cannon shut down and had to recharge. When it stopped firing, the Sith jumped down with his lightsabers in a down position to bash down on her with great strength and speed. She dodged it for the most part, but it did gash her calf slightly. Liev found she could not counter-attack at any time because he was just way too fast and hard-hitting. She felt herself getting aggravated. She tried very hard not to get angry but she failed. Her temper and fear for her life had bested her. So she started deflecting them extra hard, and pushing his sabers back, seemingly overpowering him. It seemed her strength was more than his at the moment, but he too got angry. He pushed her back and started crashing all of his weight down into his lightsabers. He held both of her lightsabers and and gave her a fiere headbutt, which busted her head open. Blood seeped from her new wound, and he bashed her again before he retracted. Blood from her forehead rolled into her eyes. She suddenly got extremely angry...she even surprised herself how loudly she could scream.

--

Through a camera droid in the corner, the Sith Lord watched the woman and his henchman fight. "That's it...give in to your fear, your hatred, your anger..."

--

After a while, Liev got slightly fatigued despite her battle stamina. After one deflection, she winded back from fatigue and the Sith warrior, wasting no time, drove his right lightsaber into her stomach and his left across her neck, decapitating her. Her lifeless body toppled backwards after he retracted his right lightsaber, and she fell squirming on the ground. The Sith warrior added insult to injury by slicing her up even after she lay dead. "Weakness...such weakness."

Zakiv's Test

Zakiv suffered through many hits on his person going through the tube to get to his destination, but because he knew how to position himself where he took the least damage. After landing in the room, he took a good look at his surroundings. It was just a simple room with an airlock similar to the one head just just been in. However, there was something in the center of the room...and it housed something that Zakiv fears very much. An explosive that destroyed his Master...a thermal detonator. A holocron like the one in the room before him was next to the thermal detonator housing. He walked up to it cautiously and activated it carefully.

"Hello, Zakiv. I want to play a game." Zakiv listened carefully. "You have always fixed things, corrected them your entire life. It's what you're good at; mechanics. But know that mechanics isn't just wires and switches, Zakiv. It is a process, a formula. So I present to you a process, a formula." Zakiv scratched his chin in thought. What could this Sith-masked man mean? "Can you correct your fate? In this room is an airlock that is malfunctioning. It cannot be opened unless you repair the panel next to it. All neccesary parts are in the floor in front of it...simple, right?" Zakiv knew there was a catch. He wouldn't be let out that easy. "But you and I both know that processes can appear as one thing but be something else entirely. When you arrived in this room you tripped a sensor. You have activated the timer for the thermal detonator in front of you. The timer is for 10 minutes. When the thermal detonator explodes, it is unstable enough and contains enough baradium to destroy the entire compound. Now, look to your left..." Zakiv glanced over and saw a similar panel to the one that was near the airlock. "There is a panel that will activate quadruple durasteel/plasteel/energy repulsors, but it, too, is damaged. There is only enough parts to repair one panel, and all of them must be used or the panel will not work. What is the shielding for, yoiu may ask?" Zakiv had a good idea. "So it can contain the explosion of the thermal detonator. So, now, you are faced with two options...repair the airlock panel and you will find a way out if this compound. Repair the shielding panel and it can activate the shielding to contain the explosion, but then you cannot escape. So, what will you do, Zakiv? WIll you escape safely, or will you be weak and save your allies? Live or die. The choice is yours. Remember, ten minutes. Let the game begin."

Zakiv was devastated by this news. Zakiv ran over to the airlock panel and inspected its damage. He soon found the damages were very heavy, ands the parts in front of could repair the panel if he knew what he was doing. He then inspected the extent of the damage on the shielding panel. Also very bad...and there wasn't enough parts for both. The man was right...he had a choice. He fell down to his knees and started sobbing. The Zabrak's heart was filled with fear. He just...didn't know what to do. He wondered what a true Jedi would do...escape safely to do more good, or save his allies so they could? It was all just so unfair, this situation, and wondered what he had done to deserve this. He looked at the timer. There was seven minutes remaining. He had to get to work. He had to make his choice. Now.

He glanced at the airlock panel, and then at the shielding panel. He kept glancing between them, until he finally closed his eyes, gulped, and walked over to it. He started repairing the panel, first bending the power receptor cords back into place. He took the energy cell from the pile and inserted it into its proper place, and hand-binded the loose wires into the coated cords. He then replaced many small connector pins, very delicate work. There was one minute left exactly when he was through. Pushing the activation button, he heard great activity in the walls. He knew what he had just done. He had sealed his fate.

He was going to die here to save his allies...no, his friends. Zakiv got on his knees and closed his eyes, waiting for the explosion. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

And it was finally over.

The shielding only barely contained the massive explosion, and that area of the facility was done for. As was Zakiv Lanzhu, the man who sacrificed his own life to save others.

He died a true Jedi.

Zezrin's Test

Zezrin used the Force to mend his wounds after the bruising he had taken in the tube. After the healing he was fine, but still a little hurt from the aftershock. Zezrin's surroundings consisted of something that looked like a hospital waiting room. The entire room was bloody...blood was on the ceiling, the floor, the walls...and there were bodies of some beasts. They were probably, Zezrin reasoned, the terrible beasts of the dark side that the Sith-masked man told them all about in the last room. On the counter directly ahead of him laid his lightsaber. Beside his lightsaber was a holocron secured in place to the counter. Stepping forward, Zezrin activated the holocron. "Hello, Zezrin. I want to play a game," the same Sith-masked man he had seen before in another holocron said. "Your whole life you have sought out the most diplomatic solution, the most peaceful answer to any situation. But what do you do when combat arises? You hide from it. You are afraid. Just like all the rest of the Jedi. So now I show you combat, and there is no peaceful solution. You must rely on ferocity and anger to win. The teachings of the Jedi cannot help you, Zezrin... Let the game begin." The holorecording ended.

Zezrin carefully picked up his lightsaber. When he did, the walls suddenly started energizing. Zezrin smacked the blade of his lightsaber after activating it into the energized wall, but it simply bounced off. It must've been to prevent him from carving his way out of there. Turning around, he saw a Jedi with an ignited violet single-bladed lightsaber. The Sith warrior rushed ahead and ferociously started fighting him. Zezrin was determined to only be defensive, just deflecting his opponent's blows. But he soon found he didn't have a choice, for he was extremely fast and constantly had to keep blocking. The Sith warrior was so ferocious and bestial in his fighting technique that he deactivated Zezrin's lightsaber for a second. Parry after parry, block after block...

Eventually Zezrin knocked the Sith warrior's lightsaber out of his hand and held his lightsaber to the Sith's throat. "I will not kill you if you leave now." The Sith smiled and fell backwards, grabbed his lightsaber and cut Zezrin's legs off. Zezrin felt horrible gut-wrenching pain as his lower body was cut off. As a dying blow, Zezrin impaled the Sith with his lightsaber. Zezrin died holding his lightsaber into the Sith's gut. They died falling upon one another, until their lightsabers lost charge and deactivated by force.

Zezrin had acted as Jedi and offered survival to someone who meant him harm. It was the way of the Jedi. Their Code.

_There is no emotion; there is peace_

_There is no ignorance; there is knowledge_

_There is no passion; there is serenity_

_There is no death; there is the Force_

But Zezrin had one thought in his mind before he died.

_I would be alive if I hadn't shown mercy. It is a weakness. I realize that. But now, it is too late. _

Delvor's Test

Delvor got irritated because of the long travel through the tube to get to his destination. He tended to his wounds through the Force after he landed, then looked around. The room was of normal size and the walls were quadruple-plied durasteel plate. He also heard the hum of an energy shield; it was probably behind the durasteel, he reasoned. The room he was in was sparsely furnished and looked accomadating. Delvor had only gotten angry from arriving in this forsaken place. He knew it wasn't of the Jedi to lose control of his temper so much, but this was a desperate situation. When he met the one responsible for imprisoning his allies, he would pay.

But without his lightsaber, Delvor couldn't do much. He fought well unarmed, but he disliked to. His lightsaber was part of him. Delvor looked around for something, anything, that could give him a clue as to getting out of this place. He searched for ten minutes, and he heard a massive explosion. He hoped that whatever it was, it killed whoever was responsible. But he knew that probably was not the case.

Finally he uncovered a holocron behind a plant. The plant looked so great Delvor would've assumed it had been cared for by the Ithorian ecological priests of Ithor. Activating the holocron, he saw the sickening sight of the Sith-masked man he had seen just before he got here. "Hello, Delvor. I want to play a game." Delvor furrowed his eyebrows in anger. Delvor hadn't come to Dantooine to play games. He had come because the Jedi Council sent him. "For the entirety of your life you have been strong and wise. But the...Jedi...have held you back. Told you anger and passion were dangerous. They are wrong. You know this. Why else do you think you called upon the dark side to take down my warriors?" Delvor thought back and reasoned that it was because it was neccesary. "Because it was neccesary. Tell me, Delvor; when has being peaceful and attuned to the Force ever helped anyone? It is fear. It is inaction. It is exactly what the preach about to their students. The...Jedi...are fools. Have you ever thought that perhaps you are on the wrong side, Delvor? That you're serving the enemy of the galaxy? It is because you are. Come, do not let the anger, the passion, the power go. Do not turn away from it. Listen...listen to it's ebbs and flows. You will find peace in your soul by giving yourself over to the dark side. But anyway, you did not activate this holocron to hear me banter, did you? Of course not." Delvor couldn't agree more. "I will let you succeed where the...Jedi...have failed. And that is through inaction." Delvor listened more carefully. "In this room is an airlock leading to three of my Sith warriors." This man was joking. There couldn't possibly be that many dark side attackers waiting for him in the next room. So Delvor thought. "Spend as much time as neccesary to prepare. Your weapon, you will find, is in this room. Where it is, I cannot say. I will give you just one hint as to where it is. 'X' marks the spot. Let the game begin."

"X" marks the spot? What the hell did he mean by that? There was no "X" anywhere in this room. He searched around, but still found nothing. But he did notice something about the plant. It was hard to catch, but he did notice it. The leaves on the plant were shaped like an "X." Digging into the soil, he found the cylinder of his double-bladed lightsaber. He activated it and it was orange. It was his alright. Now, if there were Sith warriors waiting for him, they'd regret ever capturing him...He walked through the airlock and the man was right.

A man with cracked flesh, a man with scarred flesh, and a man with almost scaly flesh stood before him, two of them bearing double-bladed lightsabers themselves, while the other had one single-bladed lightsaber. "Ha! Do you honestly think you can take on all three of us? You are a fool if you do, Jedi." Activating his orange double-bladed lightsaber himself, Delvor said "Let's see how disappointed in my skills you are." And with that, the four began fighting.

It was very difficult keeping up with five lightsaber blades. But he was confident his lightsaber skills were up to the challenge. But every once in a while the one with the single-bladed lightsaber would nick him while he was keeping up with the two double-bladed Sith warriors. All in all, Delvor amazingly kept up with all three of them. In the corner was a remote camera droid...

--

The Sith Lord Xavian watched with great interest. He hadn't expected Delvor to fare so greatly. This...Delvor...a truly amazing specimen, he thought. He sensed much aggression, anger, vengeance, and hatred in his soul. He knew that if he did it right, his next apprentice would be...Darth Zexin. Delvor's new name, and title...he planned to kill the rest of the Round Table of the Sith, and both Xavian and Zexin would rise against those fools Darth Sidious and Darth Maul. Then, _they _would be the only Sith in the galaxy. And nothing would stop them.

--

With each slight hit or near-hit Delvor would get angrier and angrier. They were taunting him. Playing with him. Delvor finally landed a very good hit on the middle the Sith warrior's lightsaber, cutting one end of it off. He did the same to the other double-bladed lightsaber-wielder. He then decapitated the one with a single-bladed lightsaber, gashed open the gut of one Sith warrior, and impaled the last one. Blood sprayed from the gut of the Sith warrior all over Delvor, for the wound was deep enough it didn't sauter his wound. Delvor closed his eyes and raised his head. He had exacted revenge. Delvor had heard something behind him. It was an airlock opening. He turned around and activated his lightsaber again. "Unless you want to die, run now."

The Sith Lord Xavian stood and looked at Delvor with pride. "Impressive...you know the power of anger, the power of hate." Delvor realized he had already broken many laws of the Jedi. He felt ashamed. "No...do not be ashamed. Did you not enjoy it one bit when you struck down those who had caused all of this to happen? Did you not feel accomplishment as their bodies lay dead? Did the power not feel exhilirating? You see, you have something many Jedi do not. Instinct. The will to survive. You knew that only the dark side can save you. You are powerful and wise."

Delvor thought for a few moments. It was true...he could not deny the fact that it felt great to destroy those responsible. And the power of the dark side was great...Much more powerful than what the Jedi made it out to be. Reluctantly he said "Yes...yes, it did..." Xavian smiled. "That...is the power of the dark side. So ask yourself; why are you allied with the Jedi? They treat the Force as burden, only to be used at times when it is 'truly needed.'" More and more this man was making sense. "I am the Dark Lord of the Sith, Lord Xavian. Under me you can learn of this great power...and use it to truly help the galaxy." He held out his hand. Slowly, Delvor reached for it. "Good...I now deem you...Darth Zexin." Delvor nodded. He was not sure if he was making the right decision, but perhaps he would learn in time. "I know of a way out of here, Zexin." "What is it?" Zexin asked with a kind of primitive hunger. "My shuttle...but the hangar bay leading to it is locked. You must kill the last remaining survivor for it to open. It's someone named...let me think...Zarith?" Zexin was stunned by this news. Zarith? Zarith was his friend, his ally. "But...but Zarith is my friend." "Live or die, Zexin. It is your choice. Kill him and survive, or rot here." Zexin thought for a while. He didn't like it, but he had to do it. "V...very well..." "It is through that airlock I just came from. He is waiting there."

Stepping through the airlock, Zexin gulped and saw a familiar face in the circular room.

Zarith's Test

Zarith closed his eyes and tumbled around in the tube before he arrived to his destination. He focused on keeping the Force healing his wounds while he was in the tube. When he landed, he was unscathed. As soon as he entered the room, seven dark side beasts leapt at him. Zarith barely dodged its charge. What a way to be greeted, he thought. The room was coated with black paint, and some corpses of dark side beasts were already laying dead on the floor, blood pouring from their wounds. Zarith remembered what the man said in the holocron. "_I think you will find the dark side to be very helpful against these beasts..._" Zarith knew better than that, however. He trusted in the wisdom of the Jedi. He started observing his opponents for weak spots, and he saw one. There was a large cist underneath their right arm that looked like it may hurt quite a bit. So Zarith swung a swift side kick to the beast, and sputtered and died. Six beasts remained, however. Two of them leapt forward to Zarth, but Zarith backflipped and bounced off of the wall, landing behind them. He chopped with his hand to the cist on a beast in front of him, and then spinning around to kick one behind him. Both of them died. Three left. One behind him grabbed him, spun him around, and grasped his throat. Zarith remained calm, knowing that if he were to give into fear and desperation he wold be tempted to use the dark side. So he landed a knee to the cist of that beast, loosening it grip on his throat immediately and crumbling to the ground. Zarith it the ground and backflipped behind the beast that was charging at him, causing the two beasts to impale each other with their claws. After they all died around Zarith, blood erupted from the cists that he had kicked. Bright red blood coated his dark skin. Blinking once or twice, Zarith wiped the blood from his face with his robes. "Well...that was unpleasant." Looking around for something, perhaps another holocron, Zarith searched the vicinity. It was just a lifeless, empty room. There were no doors, no furnishings, nothing but a black empty space. But finally, he saw the head of a holocron in the corpse of one of the dark side beasts he had just defeated. He tore it out of its gullet and pressed the playback button. It acted as though it did not work for a few seconds, but it eventually activated and the same man bearing the ancient Sith mask was shown. "Hello, Zarith. I want to play a game." Zarith raised his left eyebrow slightly. What did this man want? "For your life, you have always trusted in the fools on the...Jedi...council. Always remained in the light and always avoided the dark. It is because you are afraid. Afraid of the power you could have. Afraid..." He went on with his theory that the Jedi were foolish and evil, but Zarith knew this man did not truly understand the Jedi, and pitied him. "How will you fare in the darkness? There is a neural disruptor field generator in this room...remember what I said." Zarith remembered him saying that the first generator was "behind something with a hundred legs but could not stand still." The man in the holocron continued. "When you destroy it, your Force powers will return to you. You still cannot use the Force to escape, however. My power over the dark side has sealed the walls from moving. I have a hint for you as to where the thing I mentioned earlier is. Just keep tapping and your heart will find it." Zarith pondered it. "Let the game begin." The message ended.

Zarith wondered. Did he have to tap the walls? Yes...perhaps that was it. Zarith knocked all over the walls and eventually a panel fell loose. And behind it was a primitive cleaning device; a broom. It fell over and Zarith saw a small sphere. He reached to touch the sphere, but sensed danger. Instead, he took the broom and smashed it over the sphere. The sphere broke, but it exploded into many pieces with electricity blasting forth from it. Zarith reached out with the Force to see if his powers had returned to him. They had. He lifted the shards of glass off of the floor and dropped them using the Force. He pushed forth a great burst all around him, like a wave of energy. It did nothing to anything but one piece of the wall. It fell forward and revealed an airlock. When it fell, Zarith heard an explosion. Oh no. Not that.

He sensed that Zakiv had become one with the Force. His friend...

Zarith closed his eyes and tapped both shoulders and the bridge of his nose. He stood in silence and remembered what Yoda had said. "_A Jedi should respect another becoming one with the Force. Miss them do not, for they have merely gained a better understanding of the Force._" Zarith respected Zakiv for living on through the Force.

Zarith went forward through the airlock and looked around. The room was circular and wooden, but still held together by the dark side. But before he could survey too much, another airlock across from him opened.

And standing there was Delvor.

--

Mace Windu and Yoda were on a transport, not to Dantooine, but back to Coruscant. Yoda sensed the six Jedi had left, although Yoda felt four of them becoming one with the Force. They must return quickly. And they were.

--

Conclusion

Zarith looked relieved when he saw Delvor. "Delvor! Boy, am I glad to see you." But all Delvor returned to Zarith was a stare. "Delvor?" This time he answered with an activated lightsaber. Both of its orange blades came bursting out. "Delvor!" "I'm sorry, Zarith...but I must do this..."

Delvor swung at Zarith but Zarith gave a spinning cartwheel out of harm's way. "Delvor, what has happened to you?" "That is NOT my name! My name is Zexin. Darth Zexin." "Darth...? What?" But Zexin swung again. Zarith looked around and found his own green double-bladed lightsaber in the corner. Using the Force to draw it to him, Zarith activated it when it got to him and blocked another hit by Zexin. "Delvor, please! This is not the way!" But Zexin kept on fiercely attacking Zarith. Zarith pushed Zexin back with the Force and said "Delvor! If we work together we can get out of here!" Zexin got angry when Zarith pushed him. ""No one...halts me!" Zexin blasted forth terrible bolts of energy at Zarith, with Zarith blocking the lightning with his lightsaber. After a little while, Zexin stopped. "A cheap Jedi trick." Zarith was very confused. What was going on?

The battle raged on quite fiercely, but Zarith was on the defensive rather than the offensive, seeking to parry his blows and subdue him. But Zexin cut off one half of Zarith's double-bladed lightsaber, and the airlock opened. The Dark Lord of the Sith, Xavian, said to Zexin "Good! Now strike him down. Now." Zexin came forth with a blow straight to Zarith's neck.

But all of a sudden, Zexin stopped. Not because he felt pity for Zarith, but because the room was shaking. Something burst through the walls. It was...Master Windu and Master Yoda! "Come to end this, we have. Step away from the Jedi, you will. Lord Xavian." Xavian furrowed his eyebroiws in bloodlust. "NO! You will die, Yoda!' While Yoda deflected blows from Xavian, Mace Windu joined in and decapitated Lord Xavian with a great hit across his neck. Windu and Yoda both shook their heads to his demise.

But when Xavian died, the airlock to the shuttle bay opened. Zexin charged for the shuttle. Master Windu said "Delvor! Wait!" Yoda said, still shaking his head "The taint of the dark side I sense...a new apprentice, Lord Xavian had." Mace Windu asked Zarith "Is this true?" "Yes...many things have happened...I feel no one but me and Delvor survived." Mace Windu looked downtrodden. "This is unsettling news. How could they have been defeated so easily...?" "I will explain all of it on the way back to the Jedi Council chambers, Master Windu," said arith.

finally, the nightmare had ended.

Finally, all of the victims of the brutal tests of the Sith could rest.

THE END

Lord Zexin was in space in the shuttle he had stolen from his dead Master. He was near Nar Shaddaa, Hutt space. "Zarith...I will make you and all of the Jedi pay...I swear it."


End file.
